Billy Joel

A new infographic illustrates the top-selling musicians in America by state of birth, with a number of familiar classic rock greats among those featured.

Billy Joel is filling out his his recently announced hometown concert residency with a series of tour dates throughout 2014. Scattered among the New York City shows Joel has lined up in 2014 are a bunch of new concerts that will keep him busy across the U.S. through summer.

Don Henley and Garth Brooks were among the artists who helped pay tribute to Billy Joel, who was one of five performers to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honor in 2013. The gala, which took place on Dec. 8, was televised on CBS last night.

Billy Joel has long taken an interest in educating younger generations of musicians. This runs from his acclaimed Evening of Questions and Answers and a Little Bit of Music series to today’s news that he has given a piano to the music department of Stony Brook University on his native Long Island.

It took Billy Joel more than half a decade and five albums to catch a break. 'Piano Man' was a Top 30 hit in 1974, but it didn't launch the singer-songwriter into any sort of career stratosphere. Then came 1977's 'The Stranger.'

Billy Joel released 'The Nylon Curtain' on Sept. 23, 1982.

By the time Billy Joel entered the studio for his 12th album, 'River of Dreams,' he had sold millions of records, toured the world, won Grammy Awards and had a wife and family. By all appearances, he seemed happy, fulfilled and poised for another two decades of success. Behind the scenes, however, he was struggling.

Finding a new lover sure can put a spring in your step, huh? Rarely has this phenomenon been more clearly demonstrated in rock history than with Billy Joel's ninth album, 1983's 'An Innocent Man,' which turns 30 years old today.

This heralded a quantum shift in the way fans would consume music for the next two decades.